Nigerian Suya Recipe

This Nigerian Suya is a sizzling and spicy recipe, which is made with tender beef fillet and a rich peanut marinade. It’s a popular street food snack, perfect for grilling, and ready in about 4 hours, including marinating time.

Nigerian Suya Ingredients

For the Marinade:

• 10 uda pods (see tip) or 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 400g salted roasted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion granules
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 organic fish or chicken stock cube
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1 fresh green chilli
• 1 fresh Scotch bonnet
• 1 green pepper
• 1 spring onion

For the Skewers & Salad:

• 1kg fillet of beef, trimmed
• 500g ripe tomatoes (mixed colours if possible)
• ½ a red cabbage
• ½ a white cabbage
• 1 red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 2 lemons
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 32 wooden skewers

How To Make Nigerian Suya

1. Prep the skewers and beef: About 4 hours before you plan to cook, soak the wooden skewers in cold water. Very finely slice the beef, flatten it slightly with the flat side of your knife, and place it in the fridge until needed.
2. Make the spice powder: To make the marinade, first bash the uda pods in a pestle and mortar, discard the seeds, and place the pods into a blender with the peanuts, all the ground spices, and the crumbled stock cube. Blitz for 5 to 10 minutes to a rough powder. Transfer this to a large bowl.
3. Make the wet marinade: Peel and roughly chop the onion, garlic, and ginger. Deseed and roughly chop the chillies and pepper, and roughly chop the spring onion. Add all of these to the blender and blitz until smooth.
4. Marinate the beef: Add the blitzed vegetable mixture to the ground spice bowl and stir well. Add the sliced beef and turn it in the marinade until it’s well coated. Thread 4 to 5 slices onto each soaked skewer. Place on a tray, cover, and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours.
5. Make the salad: Just before cooking, finely slice the tomatoes, shred the cabbages, finely slice the onion, and finely slice the cucumber. Place everything into a large bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Grill the skewers: Preheat a large griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Drizzle the skewers with a little olive oil and cook them in batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until beautifully gnarly and golden.
7. Serve: Drizzle the cooked skewers with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately with the fresh salad and extra lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Recipe Tips

• What are uda pods? As the recipe tip notes, uda pods add a lovely sharp, peppery taste common in West African cooking. If you can’t get hold of them, Szechuan peppercorns are a good substitute for a similar flavor.
• How to get the most tender beef? Slicing the beef fillet very thinly against the grain is key. The long marinating time also helps to tenderize the meat and infuse it with flavor.
• Can I make this on a barbecue? Absolutely. Suya is a classic street food often cooked over open flames. Cook the skewers over a hot barbecue for 1-2 minutes per side until cooked through and nicely charred.
• Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. You can prepare the marinade and let the beef marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The salad can also be chopped and stored in the fridge, but it’s best to dress it just before serving.

What To Serve With Nigerian Suya

This is a classic street food that is a complete meal with the fresh salad. It’s also delicious with:

• A side of jollof rice
• Fried plantains
• A simple flatbread

How To Store Nigerian Suya

• Refrigerate: Store leftover cooked skewers and the salad in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The skewers are also delicious served cold.

Nigerian Suya Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 1 serving (4 skewers)
• Calories: 650 kcal
• Fat: 40g
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Protein: 50g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

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